“If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they ravage it, and it be made desolate, so that no one may pass through because of the beasts,
English Standard Version (ESV)
God isn't just sending animals; He's orchestrating an ecological collapse to punish sin. The devastation by "noisome beasts" is so complete that the land becomes impassable, not just for its people, but even for travelers, creating a desolate void that swallows up normal life.
“If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they ravage it, and it be made desolate, so that no one may pass through because of the beasts,
English Standard Version (ESV)
Ezekiel is listing God's severe judgments that can fall upon a sinful land, continuing from the previous mention of famine. Here, God describes the terrifying scenario of wild beasts overrunning the land, destroying everything and making it so dangerous that no one dares to travel through it. This is presented as another consequence God can unleash, just as devastating as hunger or war.
We often think of God's judgment as something distant or abstract. But what if His discipline could arrive on four legs, with claws and teeth?
In this passage, Ezekiel describes a terrifying scenario: God causing 'noisome beasts' to ravage the land. This wasn't a random act of nature. The text emphasizes that God is the one who causes these wild creatures to pass through.
Divine Command
This highlights God's sovereign power over all creation, even the most dangerous elements. He can unleash famine, the sword, pestilence, and yes, even wild animals, as instruments of His judgment against sin. These weren't merely natural occurrences; they were divinely appointed forces sent to discipline His people or to judge rebellious nations.
Historical Context
In ancient Israel, especially with their proximity to deserts, encounters with wild animals were a real threat. God had warned them in Leviticus that if they disobeyed, He would send wild beasts among them (Leviticus 26:22). This was a tangible, terrifying consequence of turning away from Him.
Imagine a land so overrun by danger that no one dares to travel through it. What does this profound emptiness reveal about God's judgment?
The passage paints a stark picture of desolation. When these 'noisome beasts' ravage the land, the result is a complete breakdown of normal life.
The Land Made Childless
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Commentators note that the Hebrew word used here can mean 'to make childless' or 'bereave.' This speaks to a comprehensive destruction – not just of people and livestock, but of the land's ability to sustain life and future generations. It's as if the land itself is rendered barren and unable to produce.
No Passage Allowed
The ultimate consequence described is that 'no one may pass through because of the beasts.' This signifies a total disruption of society and safety. Trade routes would be cut off, communication would cease, and the land would become isolated and feared. It’s a powerful image of a land under God's severe displeasure, rendered uninhabitable and cut off from the outside world.
Understand the original words
shemamah · Hebrew Noun
A state of being laid waste, empty, or ruined, often as a result of divine judgment for sin, leaving a place uninhabitable.
Ezekiel delivered this message during the Babylonian exile, a time when the land of Judah had already experienced devastating judgments. The mention of wild beasts, famine, sword, and pestilence was not merely hypothetical but a reminder of the very real calamities that had befallen their nation due to their persistent sin.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Samaria and Israel
The Northern Kingdom of Israel falls to the Neo-Assyrian Empire, leading to widespread exile and depopulation. This event serves as a stark warning of the consequences of national sin.
605 BC
First Babylonian Deportation
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon deports a portion of the Judean elite, including the prophet Daniel, to Babylon. This marks the beginning of Judah's decline and eventual subjugation.
597 BC
Second Babylonian Deportation
Following a revolt, King Jehoiachin and thousands more Judeans are exiled to Babylon. The prophet Ezekiel is among this group, beginning his ministry in exile.
586 BC— this verse
Destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple
The Babylonians, under Nebuchadnezzar, finally conquer Jerusalem, destroy the Temple, and exile most of the remaining population. This is the nadir of Judean national history.
c. 593 BC
Ezekiel's Ministry Begins in Exile
Ezekiel receives his prophetic call and begins delivering messages of judgment and future hope to the exiles in Babylon, including the pronouncements in chapters 14 and 34.
539 BC
Fall of Babylon to Persia
The Persian Empire, under Cyrus the Great, conquers Babylon, paving the way for the eventual return of the Jewish exiles to their homeland.
This passage from Leviticus directly lists wild beasts as one of the punishments God would bring upon Israel for disobedience, mirroring the threat in Ezekiel.
Jeremiah 15:3Jeremiah also describes four kinds of devastation sent by God, including wild beasts, highlighting this as a recurring theme of divine judgment in the Old Testament.
Deuteronomy 32:24This song of Moses warns of God sending 'fierce beasts' and 'venomous things' against a rebellious people, showing the long-standing consequence of national sin.
2 Kings 17:25This historical account shows that the threat of wild beasts was not just a prophecy but a reality, as they were sent to afflict the inhabitants of Israel after their exile.
ellicottEzekiel 14:15: "If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts:"
(15-20) In these verses the same declaration is repeated, for the sake of emphasis, with each one of three other instruments of punishment, with only such variations of phraseology as are required for rhetorical reasons. The phrase “their own souls ” is here also simply equivalent to “themselves.” The judgments mentioned are all take…
bensonEzekiel 14:15: "If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land, and they spoil it, so that it be desolate, that no man may pass through because of the beasts:"
Ezekiel 14:15-21 . If I cause noisome beasts to pass through the land — We find it was one punishment of the inhabitants of Judea, to be infested by lions and other wild beasts. To this their neighbourhood to the deserts of Arabia exposed them; and God, at certain times, to punish them for their sins, either by causing a scarcity of…
God isn't just sending animals; He's orchestrating an ecological collapse to punish sin. The devastation by "noisome beasts" is so complete that the land becomes impassable, not just for its people, but even for travelers, creating a desolate void that swallows up normal life.
Ezekiel is listing God's severe judgments that can fall upon a sinful land, continuing from the previous mention of famine. Here, God describes the terrifying scenario of wild beasts overrunning the land, destroying everything and making it so dangerous that no one dares to travel through it. This is presented as another consequence God can unleash, just as devastating as hunger or war.
Ezekiel is listing God's severe judgments that can fall upon a sinful land, continuing from the previous mention of famine. Here, God describes the terrifying scenario of wild beasts overrunning the land, destroying everything and making it so dangerous that no one dares to travel through it. This is presented as another consequence God can unleash, just as devastating as hunger or war.
"“If I cause wild beasts to pass through the land, and they ravage it, and it be made desolate, so that no one may pass through because of the beasts," — God isn't just sending animals; He's orchestrating an ecological collapse to punish sin. The devastation by "noisome beasts" is so complete that the land becomes impassable, not just for its people,…
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Last reviewed October 2026